Animal
Basic Info Name: Damien Keasler Codename: Animal Age: 18 Gender: Male Group: Legion of Doom Position: Member Personality When working or preparing for work, Damien is quiet and serious, seemingly focused solely on the task at hand. He's loyal to his allies (seeing as he has few friends), but not to the point of being willing to risk his life. He suffers from paranoia, which he generally manages to keep suppressed. This is mainly due to his training, fearing the worst of people. Occasionally this will lead to a breakdown, something he's managed to keep a secret from all who know him. Outside of work or training, Damien's fairly nice, but he tends to be blunt about his opinions of people and the world. History Damien was orphaned at the age of 3. He was raised by an old man since the age of 5, when the man found Damien outside of his orphanage being beat up. The man took the boy in, back when Damien was just a straggly half-fed orphan fighting for his life. Life in the small Arizona town was much better, Damien being educated and raised well. He led a relatively happy childhood, with few worries and many happy memories. His adoptive father use to take him camping often, showing him the ways of the forest and how to track animals, as well as hunt. When Damien was 7, he developed an intense fear of water after nearly drowning, which has affected him greatly, even in the development of his powers. At the age of 11, Damien was beginning to experience the major physical changes in the manifestation of his powers, namely his fangs and his claws. He slowly realized that his senses were sharpening drastically. His true power showed up a few months later, while on a camping trip with his father. He and his father were tracking deer when they were attacked by a bear. Damien threw himself between his father and the bear, intending on trying to fend it off himself. He then shifted into a bear, scaring off the attacking one. He passed out shortly afterwards, his father carrying him to safety. The two agreed to keep the incident a secret. Damien didn't know it, but his adoptive father was very sick. He died a few months before Damien's 13th birthday. This left him alone in the world, with only the prospect of returning to foster care. Damien took off from his former home, leaving the Arizona desert for the only place he could think of where he could survive on his own: the forests of Canada. After a few months, he ran across strange travelers. He approached them, not sure of what to expect. When they attacked he retaliated, accidentally killing one of them. They were members of the League of Shadows, and his presence was reported to Ra's Al Ghul. Intrigued, Ra's sent a few of the members to capture the boy, curious as to the full extent of his powers. When brought before the man, Damien initially resisted, but gave up hope. He submitted to Ra's and soon began his tutoring on how to fine tune his powers, as well as how to kill properly and without leaving a trace. After almost 5 years of training, he decided that his skills would be better honed not through more training and contracts, but through experience fighting against heroes. He joined the Legion of Doom, having been told about it by a fellow assassin. Powers and Weakness Shapeshifting- Damien can shift into almost any animal that he's seen, but it makes it easier if he's 'bonded' (touched and spoken to) with the animal. Given his intense fear of water, Damien can't shift into any type of sea creature. Heightened Senses- Even in his human form, Damien's senses are far sharper than the average human's. He is able to track almost anyone down, provided they don't go through water and he has their scent with them. His senses are extremely prone to over-stimulation though. Animal Communication- Damien can communicate with any animal, given how in touch he is with nature and his inner beast. The animal has to be willing to speak with him though. Increased strength, durability and reflexes- Damien is far less susceptible to fatigue in his human form while also being far stronger than he appears to be because of the animal inside. His reflexes are the result of the training he's undergone over the last few years, but his animalistc side helped with the initial boost. The first two of these traits don't carry over when he shifts, though he is a little bit stronger than his normal animal counterpart would normally be. Weakness: Damien's instincts are almost completely animalistic at times, so his natural fight-or-flight reflex may override what he actually wants to do. Also shifting tends to take a lot out of him, so he can only maintain a form for three hours tops, less if fighting. Also he can't shift into any type of sea animals. Its fairly easy to overload his senses, with loud noises and harsh smells being the two biggest problems for him. Possessions Damien has 2 obsidian daggers that were a parting gift to him from one of his mentors upon joining the Legion of Doom. They always hang at his belt even though he doesn't use them often since he's more prone to killing with his powers or his bare hands. Damien also possess 2 sets of clothing made of a special fiber designed not to wear out as much as normal clothing when he shifts. He doesn't wear them too often because they cost too much to have replaced if damaged or the fibers eventually break down. Characters